Several years ago I was in the same situation. My new house had a defunct electric range so I researched the best available gas convection range. I bought the Consumer Reports best rated one from the GE Profile series. Big mistake. After numerous problems their tech assistance told me this range should not be used on convection if I wanted to do breads or baked goods. Customer service told me my problem was that I used butter. Really? Eventually I got a basic Whirlpool with no electronic features. A simple knob with temperature selection; and it's great for high temperatures. Insulated well, and a pan of water does the steam. Hope this helps!

Are you replacing it with another electric, or gas? I'm looking at new electric oven/rangetop combos right now, but haven't convinced myself to pull the trigger. I'm a little worried about the glass top of sealed-burner models from a fragility standpoint.

Don't be too quick to reject that old electric. As one appliance repair person told me, the last good electric oven was built was in 1959, everything since is junk. Because of an upcoming kitchen remodel, I'm replacing my old GE Hotpoint that has served me reliably for 17 years.

My next range is going to be the Capital Culinarian. If you are in the market for a prostyle range, you should definitely check out the Culi. It is an open burner range with each burner producing 23,000 btus. Convection oven and salamander-type broiler but no electronics to get fouled by steam. It outperforms wolf, blue star, viking, etc. A good source for info on appliances is the kitchen forum at GardenWeb. And here's a link to info on the Culi:

Consumer reports gives top marks to the Kenmore smooth top electric and the GE Cafe (scores around 87). The Kitchenaid is well down in the rankings at 71. (no mention of Bosch). Some complaints about KA's non-functioning bread proofing feature. Still, it may be a good range but get a good warranty!

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